Exploring responsible technology through archetypal responses: uncertainty analysis in Leave the World Behind

As AI systems grow increasingly opaque and influential, technological uncertainty is central to contemporary human experience. This study examines archetypal human responses to such uncertainty through a semiotic and narratological analysis of the film Leave the World Behind. Drawing on Lotman’s concept of the semiosphere and Propp’s archetypal theory, the research interprets character transformations as universal adaptive patterns. Key archetypes are identified—Adaptive Hero, Knowledge Bearer, Individualistic Survivor, Vulnerable Dependent, Social Mediator, and Digital Escapist—revealing capacities that support resilience in technology-mediated crises: collective meaning-making, emotional intelligence, inter- and intra-generational knowledge exchange, collaborative resilience, and ecological literacy. These findings suggest that sustainable human-technology relations require more than regulatory oversight: they demand inclusive, culturally grounded frameworks that prioritise human values, ethical co-design, and shared interpretive systems. By mapping archetypal responses to systemic disruption, the study contributes to emerging debates on technological governance, posthuman ethics, and the future of human agency in AI-shaped societies.